Transcript Source - Cengage Learning

Sociology:
Your Compass for a New World
Robert J. Brym and John Lie
Wadsworth Group/Thomson
Learning
© 2003
Chapter 6
Deviance and Crime
Deviance and Crime
Deviance Involves Breaking a Norm.
Crime Involves Breaking a Law.
Both Crime and Deviance Evoke Societal
Reactions That Help Define the Seriousness
of the Rule-breaking Incident.
The Seriousness of
Deviance and Crime I
The Seriousness of Deviant and Criminal Acts
Depends on The Severity of the Societal
Response to Them
Their Perceived Harmfulness
The Degree of Public Agreement About
Whether They Should Be Considered
Deviant or Criminal
The Seriousness of
Deviance and Crime II
Social Diversions Are Acts That Rank Lowest
on the Three Dimensions of Seriousness.
Social Deviations Rank Higher on the Three
Dimensions.
Conflict Crimes Rank Higher Still.
Consensus Crimes Rank Highest on the
Three Dimensions.
Types of Deviance and Crime
Consensus crime: wearing samurai hair style
in medieval Japan
Conflict crime: growing a long beard in early
17th century Russia
Social deviation: wearing long hair in John
Lie’s high school
Social diversion: dyeing your hair purple in the
U.S.A. today
Agreement
about the norm
Evaluation of
Social Harm
Severity of
Social Response
Source: Hagan (1994).
The Variability of
Deviance and Crime
Definitions of Deviance and Crime Are
Historically and Culturally Variable.
They Are Socially Defined and
Constructed.
They Are Not Inherent in Actions or the
Characteristics of Individuals.
Power, Deviance, and Crime
Power Is a Key Element in Defining
Deviance and Crime.
Powerful Groups Are Generally Able to
Create Norms and Laws That Suit Their
Interests.
Less Powerful Groups Are Usually
Unable to Do So.
Crime Statistics
Crime Statistics Come From
Official Sources
Self-report Surveys
Indirect Measures
Each Source Has Strengths and Weaknesses
Percent of Population Victimized Once or
More in Preceding Twelve Months, by
Type of Crime, 1996
Percent of Population
8
Note: Horizontal lines indicate
international average for each
type of crime.
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Violent Offenses
Source: Besserer (1998).
Household
Burglary
Type of Crime
Theft of Personal
Property
Northern Ireland
Austria
France
Scotland
Switzerland
Canada
Finland
Netherlands
Sweden
USA
England and Wales
The Declining Crime Wave
The Crime Wave of the 60s and 70s Tapered
off in the 80s and Fell Substantially in the 90s
Due to
More Policing
A Smaller Proportion of Young Men in the
Population
A Booming Economy
A Decline in the Number of Unwanted
Children Resulting From the Availability of
Abortion
Violent Crime, U.S.A., 1978-99,
Rate per 100,000 Population
Rate per 100,000 population
500
400
Aggravated
assault
300
200
Robbery
100
Rape
Murder
Note: 1999 figures for January-June only.
98
96
94
92
90
88
86
84
82
80
78
0
Year
Sources: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (1999a; 1999b).
Property Crime, U.S.A., 1978-99,
Rate per 100,000 Population
Rate per 100,000 population
4000
3000
Larceny-theft
2000
1000
Burglary
Motor vehicle theft
98
96
94
92
90
88
86
84
82
80
78
0
Year
Note: 1999 figures for January-June only. Sources: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (1999a; 1999b).
Abortions and Crime, U.S.A.,
1973-97
Source: Holloway (1999: 24).
African Americans and Crime
African Americans Experience Relatively High
Arrest, Conviction, and Incarceration Rates Due
To:
Bias in the Way Crime Statistics Are
Collected
The Low Social Standing of the AfricanAmerican Community
Racial Discrimination in the Criminal Justice
System
Theories of Crime
Motivational Theories
Strain Theory
Subcultural Theory
The Theory of Differential Association
Constraint Theories
Labeling Theory
Control Theory
Conflict Theory
Social Control
All Societies Insure That Their Members Obey
Norms and Laws by Imposing Sanctions on Rule
Breakers.
The Degree and Form of Social Control Vary
Historically and Culturally.
Some Sociologists Say That Social Control Is
Weaker and Deviance Is Greater in Industrial
Societies Than in Pre-industrial Societies.
Other Sociologists Note That in Some Respects
Social Control Is Greater in Industrial Societies.
The Prison
The Prison Has Become an Important Form
of Punishment in Modern Industrial Societies.
Since the 1980s, the Incarceration Rate Has
Shot up in the United States.
Prisons Now Focus Less on Rehabilitation
Than on Isolating and Incapacitating Inmates.
Moral Panic
The Mushrooming Prison Population Is a
Consequence of the Moral Panic That Has
Engulfed the Nation on the Crime Issue.
In All Aspects of Crime Prevention and
Punishment, Most Americans Have Taken a “Gettough” Stance.
A Variety of Commercial and Political Groups
Benefit From the Moral Panic Over Crime and
Therefore Encourage It.
The Death Penalty
Some People View the Death Penalty As
A Form of Revenge
A Deterrent
It Is Ineffective Unless Frequently Applied
A Form of Justice
Strong Racial Biases and Frequent Errors
Suggest Otherwise
A Way of Saving Money
With Appeals, It Is Often More Expensive
Than Life Imprisonment
“Do you believe in capital punishment, that
is, the death penalty, or are you opposed to
it?” U.S.A., 1965-2000 (percent “for”)
Percent
100
80
60
40
20
0
1965
1969
1970
1973
1976
1983
1994
1997
2000
Year
Source: The Harris Poll, as cited in Maguire and Pastore (1988: 138); Newport (2000).
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitative Correctional Facilities Are
Often Effective, Especially for Less Serious
Offenders
Relatively Inexpensive to Maintain
Unlikely to Become Widespread in the
Current Political Climate